MIAMI - Women's basketball (16-9, 9-5 CUSA) welcomes Liberty (14-11, 8-6 CUSA) for their second matchup of the season on Saturday, February 21 at noon.
Saturday, Feb. 21 vs Liberty
QUICK FACTS
The Panthers are looking to even the all-time series against the Flames with a season sweep over Liberty. A win would be the first time FIU has beaten the Flames at home since the 2023-24 season.
The Panthers are coming off their most dominant win of the season in a 62-36 victory over Delaware. FIU set a program record for fewest points allowed in a regular season conference game.
Coming into the matchup, FIU are second in CUSA in scoring on the season with 71.4 points scored per game, and are also second in CUSA-play, putting up 66.2 points on CUSA opponents.
Rhema Collins has been a force all season, coming into the matchup with 11 double-doubles, first in CUSA and 22nd in the nation. On the season, Collins is tied for first in CUSA with 18 points per game, second with 9.2 rebounds per game and first in blocks per game with 1.6.
Parris Atkins has been as advertised from her CUSA Preseason All-Conference selection. The guard is third in CUSA, averaging 16.6 points per game, and has been all over the court on defense. With 3 steals per game, she is second in CUSA and 18th in the nation in steals.
Rhema Collins scored a career-high 40 points against Georgia State. It is the most points scored in CUSA this season, and the most any player in CUSA has scored since the 2022-23 season. It's the first time an FIU player has had a 40-point performance since 2017, and she is only the seventh player since at least 1994 to achieve 40 points in a game as a Panther.
Parris Atkins scored a career-high 35 points against Missouri State in the Panthers' first game of conference-play this season. She is only the 24th player in program history to score 35 or more points in a game since 2005, and it is the second most points scored that any player in Conference USA has scored this season.
Atkins also scored 20+ points two games in a row from 1/10-1/15/23. She is the first player to achieve that status since the 2022-23 season. Rhema Collins followed that up with another two 20+ point in a row performances in the Panthers' road trip at New Mexico State and UTEP.
Rhema Collins and Adama Badjie Coly both had double-doubles against Western Kentucky this season. This was the first time two Panthers had a double-double in the same game since the opening game of the 2024-25 season.
Freshman Grecia Ferrer Leal has been as good as you can get from a first year, ranking in the top-5 in the league in both assists per game and total assists.
Junior Denika Lightbourne had a career day against Jacksonville State when she put up a staggering 25 points in just 16 minutes played. She surpassed her previous career-high of 21 which she achieved in the first game of the season against South Florida.
CUSA Leaders:
OFFENSIVE
Scoring:
Rhema Collins, T1st - 18 ppg
Parris Atkins, 3rd - 16.6 ppg
Rebounding:
Rhema Collins, 2nd - 9.2 rpg
FIELD GOAL %:
Rhema Collins, 3rd - 46.8%
Free-Throw %:
Parris Atkins, 4th - 77.3%
Rhema Collins, 5th - 74.4%
Assists:
Grecia Ferrer, 5th - 3.9 apg
Total Assists:
Grecia Ferrer, 2nd - 98
DEFENSIVE
Blocks:
Rhema Collins, 1st - 1.6 bpg
Steals:
Parris Atkins, 2nd - 3.0 spg
Rhema Collins, 7th - 2.3
Sophomore Ndate Ndiaye scored her career-high against Florida National with 15 points. She surpassed her previous career-high of 13 points which came in a victory over Seattle in the FIU Thanksgiving Tournament.
FIU welcomes back five returners to Miami in senior Parris Atkins, redshirt-sophomore Fantasia James, junior Judit Valero and sophomores Ndate Ndiaye and Claudia Marina.
Parris Atkins and Fantasia James were both honored with CUSA All-Conference awards last season. Parris Atkins, then in her first season as a Panther, was an immediate contributor and made the CUSA All-Conference Second Team. James, a redshirt freshman at the time, was named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team for her performance during the 2024-25 season.
FIU has the most international players rostered in Conference USA. The Panthers boast 12 of their 14 players born outside of the United States.
FIU is coming off a 2024-25 season that saw the Panthers go 11-18 overall and 7-11 in conference-play, ending sixth in the conference.
SCOUTING THE FLAMES
Liberty comes into the matchup with an 8-6 record against Conference USA opponents, good for fifth in CUSA and one game back of FIU. Since the Panthers beat the Flames on January 30, Liberty is 5-1 in their last six contests. Scoring 64.2 points per game and allowing 60.8 points a game, Liberty is sixth and fifth in the conference, respectively.
The Flames have two players scoring in double-figures on the season. Sophomore Avery Mills leads the team in scoring with 15.7 points a game, good for fourth in CUSA. Fellow sophomore Emmy Stout is second on the team with 13.9 points scored a game. The center leads the conference in field goal percentage, with 52.5% of her shots seeing the bottom of the net.
Flames guard Claudia Acin leads the team in assists with 4.0 a game, good for fourth in CUSA, also fourth in total assists with 88. The junior is also second in the conference with a 1.7 assist to turnover ratio while scoring 7.8 points a game.
Despite not scoring double-digits on the season, Liberty's Ify Nwaobi leads the conference in rebounding, grabbing 9.8 boards a game. The forward also leads the team in blocks with 1.1 a contest.
The Panthers are looking for their first ever season sweep over the Flames with a win on Saturday afternoon, and some much needed breathing room in the conference standings.
TICKETS
For more information on FIU tickets to FIU basketball home games, including student ticketing, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit HERE
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@fiuwbb), Twitter (@FIUWBB), and Facebook (@FIUWBasketball) for all the latest Women's Basketball news. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSportson Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
